Andy East | The Republic
Coronavirus cases in Bartholomew County are continuing to soar to their highest levels on record, with the rolling seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases rising to 167.
Prior to the first confirmed omicron variant case in Indiana on Dec. 19, the highest seven-day average of new cases in Bartholomew County was 89 on Nov. 20, 2020, state records show.
State health officials on Tuesday added more positive cases to Friday’s record-breaking tally of cases in a single day, which now stands at 226. Since Jan. 4, the county’s record for daily cases has been broken six times. A total of 194 new coronavirus cases were reported locally on Monday.
However, the state figures likely undercount the spread of COVID-19 in the community, as they do not include most people who tested themselves at home or those who didn’t get tested for one reason or another.
The surge in local cases comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit an all-time high, according to the Indiana Department of Health, which reported a record 3,467 coronavirus hospitalizations in Indiana on Monday, eclipsing the previous high of 3,460 on Nov. 30, 2020. Just 10.6% of the state’s ICU beds were available.
Locally, 50 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 at Columbus Regional Hospital on Tuesday, the hospital said. By Wednesday morning, that figure had ticked down to 45 with eight coronavirus patients listed in critical condition.
However, hospital officials say COVID-19 admissions tend to increase over the course of the day. For instance, nine people with COVID-19 were admitted to CRH on Tuesday, according to hospital records.
Local health officials expect the next few weeks to be “rough” as omicron continues to spread.
“Unfortunately, our health system continues to be overrun with ill patients, including those with COVID,” said Bartholomew County Health Officer Dr. Brian Niedbalski in a previous interview. “Compounding that problem is the number of sick providers, nurses and ancillary staff who are testing positive. The next month or two are probably going to be rough.”
Health officials continue to plead with people to get vaccinated. As of Wednesday morning, 61.4% of eligible Bartholomew County resident were fully vaccinated, state records show. That means that some 30,200 local residents remain unvaccinated.
